Colour Flashcards
What is the colour wheel?
As hairdressers we put the information together with the “Colour wheel”. It is important to know which colour sits opposite each other. For example; if colour is too yellow we know that we need to use purple to cancel the yellow- this is why we use purple shampoo.
Primary colours
Red
Blue
Yellow
Secondary colours
Yellow + Red = Orange
Red + Blue = Purple
Blue + Yellow = green
Primary, Secondary and Tertiary Colours
Red –> Vermillion –> Orange –> Amber –> Yellow
Yellow –> Chartreuse –> Green –> Aquamarine –>Blue
Blue – > Indigo –> Violet –> Violet Red - Red
Inside a Hair
Outer layer= cuticle layer
Inner layer = cortex
Middle = medulla (not everyone has this)
The cortex is where the chemical changes take place during colouring and perming
Hair Colour Pigments
The colour pigment melanin is produced in the cortex by melanocytes
There are two types of melanin:
Eumelanin (black/brown pigment)
Pheomelanin (red/yellow pigment)
What is Depth?
the lightness or darkness of your hair.
What is Tone?
Tone refers to the colours we see in the hair – be they natural colours or artificially added. Tonal colours are classed as warm, neutral or cool
Colour pigment
Pheomelanin is mainly responsible for the underlying tones found within hair. When going lighter in colour, certain natural tones called undertones will be apparent. These are important to identify when analysing hair colour during a consultation, as the primary undertone will influence final hair colour. In certain cases these may need to be bleached, or counteracted with an opposing tone from the colour wheel, in order to achieve a target colour. (again, if hair is too yellow we use purple to counteract the yellow.)
Using a Colour Chart
As hairdressers we use a colour chart to help us with our colour choices.
At the start of every colour chart you will see numbers from 1 to 10. This number is to identify the “natural base colour” . To identify how dark or light the hair is.
The second number is the tone.
(If there is a third number this is weaker than the other numbers).
ICC = International Colour Chart
What the numbers mean;
All hair colours are numbered on a level system between 1 and 10; as the number gets higher, the colour gets lighter. For example, level 1 is black, level 5 is medium brown, and level 10 is lightest blonde.(at this stage we are only looking at the first number between 1 to 10). Eg; 2/0, 3/0 etc. This is known as the base shade.
Identifying natural hair depth
10 Lightest blonde 9 Very light blonde 8 Light blonde 7 Blonde 6 Dark blonde 5 Light brown 4 Brown 3 Dark brown 2 Darkest brown 1 Black
The ICC (International Colour
Chart) uses a number system
(1-10) to identify the depth
1 is the darkest and
10 is the lightest
Temporary Colours
Larger colour molecules coat the surface of the cuticle
Remain on the hair until the next shampoo
Do not chemically change the hair
Add tone and depth
Semi-Permanent Colours
Small molecules penetrate the cuticle and enter the cortex
Do not chemically change the hair
Add tone and depth only
Cover a small percentage of white hair and help blend larger percentage
Skin testing may be recommended by manufacturer
Last up to 6-8 washes
Quasi-Permanent Colours
Small molecules penetrate the cortex
Mixed with low-level hydrogen peroxide
Add tone, darken, cover or blend a percentage of white
Clients will experience colour fade and a regrowth may appear
Lasts up to 24-26 washes
Skin test is required
Permanent Colours
Small molecules are oxidised in the cortex to form permanent coloured molecules
Mixed with hydrogen peroxide
Add tone, darken, lighten and cover 100% white hair
Lasts…. permanently!
A skin test is required
How Permanent colours work
Permanent colour molecules are small so they can enter the hair. When mixed with peroxide this causes them to swell and become big molecules so once they are inside the cortex they are then too big to escape. Trapped! PERMANENTLY inside the hair.
This is a process called “oxidisation”
Oxygen (from peroxide) causes the colour molecule to swell.
When mixing peroxide with Permanent colour it is mixed 1;1 ratio
eg; 30mls colour with 30 mls peroxide.
Always follow Manufacturers instructions
Wella Tone Numbers :’)
ASH = 1 GREEN = /2 YELLOW = /3 ORANGE = /43 OR /34 RED = /4 VIOLET = /6 BLUE = /8
/5 falls between red and violet
/9 falls between violet and blue- wella call it cedre
Peroxide and its uses
In order to get colour to enter the Cortex we need to mix it with a developer.
Developers are hydrogen peroxide.
This comes in different strengths depending on what we want to do .